TEPSA Voting Series: Stand Up for Children!

From the Tribute to Texas Children monument
on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol

TEPSA has always been dedicated to assisting principals, assistant principals, and supervisors in providing the children of Texas with a superior education. Education provides our children, your children, with the skills to further their education through college or to find a worthwhile job after high school. Maybe even more important, it provides them with the skills to be a good citizen and to appreciate the beliefs, ethnicity, and race of all people.

I am afraid that our elected officials and extremists groups are actively working to undermine the basic tenet of the Texas Constitution, Article 7, Sec 1, "...being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools."  How can this happen when groups help elect legislators whose goal it is to destroy public education and replace them with a system of disjointed, for-profit schools that cater to the few. And which we the people have little control.

I hate to admit it, but educators have allowed this to happen! We have not loudly and proudly supported those politicians who support education. We have allowed radicals to take over our system of legislating education that fits their own ideals, not what is best for children, but what is best for profiteers.

How can we save our schools? How can we save our children? We can vote! We can encourage our teachers, employees, and parents to vote! We can establish cultures of voting within our school communities!

We must vote in the primary elections! We should vote in the Early Voting period which ends February 26. Primary election voting day is March 1.

Don't know who to vote for, go to txparentpac.com. To view their endorsements of candidates who support public education. You can also visit teachthevote.org for information on encouraging voting. and, don't miss www.texaseducatorsvote.com for ideas on creating that culture of voting.

Here are a few ideas I have used or have heard from TEPSA members:

• Go vote in the early voting period, get your "I Voted" sticker and place it by your name in the faculty mailbox area.
• Cover lunches or recess so that your teachers can vote.
• One district is providing bus services for their employees so they can vote.
• Don't forget you secretaries, custodians, and all other employees in encouaging them to vote.
• One principal is giving 'jeans' passes to all who vote.

Comment on your own ways to foster voting by educators. I'll add them to our comments section.

For the sake of our children and our grandchildren, let's make a positive impact on this election!